Teaching German

Germany

Merkel's government delivers on promises, but voters aren't convinced

The German government is working at a "record-breaking" pace according to a new study, but only 10% of voters agree. With state elections looming, time is running out for Berlin to convince the public it's doing its job.

Just halfway through its term, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition has already implemented around 61% of its policy promises, according to a study published on Monday.

The authors of the study, carried out by the Bertelsmann Foundation and Berlin Social Science Center, said the current government was working at a possibly "record-breaking" pace in ticking off the goals laid out in its coalition agreement.

"We didn't evaluate whether what the government is doing is politically right or wrong," Robert Vehrkamp, one of the study's main authors and a senior advisor at the Bertelsmann Foundation's "Future of Democracy" program, told DW.

"We assessed the reliability of the government — and it is very high. The grand coalition is doing what it promised," he added.

At first glance, the study appears to be cause for celebration for the embattled grand coalition — comprised of Merkel's conservative alliance (CDU/CSU) and their junior partners, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD).

But a closer look at the results reveals a massive disconnect with voters — the vast majority of whom doubt that the government is delivering on its promises.

Progress not reflected with voters

Only 10% of voters surveyed for the study said they believed the government had kept the majority of its promises, meaning only a small portion of the electorate believes the government is performing at the rate it actually is.

Some 79% said they believed that the government has implemented under half of its pledges, or hardly any at all.

Even those who identified themselves as supporters of the CDU, CSU or SPD appeared to have a poor image of the government's progress. Only 20% said they believed the government had fulfilled all or a majority of its promises.

Government must 'clearly communicate'

Out of the 296 promises identified by researchers in the coalition agreement, the Interior Ministry managed to completely fulfill the most promises, followed by the Health Ministry and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

Although those departments are areas where voters have been demanding action, the study suggested that it might be taking too long for voters to feel the effects in their daily lives.

"The government must clearly communicate what it actually stands for — and not just on the basis of nearly 300 individual promises," Theres Matthiess, study co-author and research associate at the Berlin Social Science Center, told DW.

"Just because a law is passed doesn't mean that changes can be felt immediately and sometimes there may be unintended consequences," she added.

Researchers also suggested that although the government has been delivering on the promises it made, those pledges might not reflect the actual wishes or areas of concern for voters.

The SPD in particular has seen a sharp drop in support, although the study found that the ministries headed by the center-left party have implemented the most pledges, and a good portion of what ended up in the coalition agreement was taken from the SPD's election program.

A Deutschlandtrend opinion poll in early August showed that only 31% of respondents said they were satisfied with the government's work.

For Matthiess, the study shows that there's a clear communication problem between the ruling parties and the voters, but it also dispels one frequent complaint about the coalition — that they're not doing anything.

"The parties are better than their reputations and cannot be branded as 'promise breakers,'" she said.

A history of Germany's coalition governments

CDU/CSU - FDP - DP (1949-1957)

The first democratic government to rule West Germany since the end of World War II saw Christian Democratic Union leader Konrad Adenauer form a governing coalition with the Free Democrats and the German Party (a now-defunct national conservative party). When Adenauer's conservatives won re-election four years later, he once again turned to the same coalition partners.

A history of Germany's coalition governments

CDU/CSU - FDP (1961-1966)

After four years of ruling West Germany on their own between 1957 and 1961, the conservative Union lost their majority in the Bundestag and were forced to enter into coalition with the Free Democrats again. Adenauer resigned in 1963 for his part in the so-called "Spiegel" scandal. His Minister of Economic Affairs Ludwig Erhard (left) was elected by parliament to take over

A history of Germany's coalition governments

CDU/CSU - SPD (1966-1969)

The first ever "grand coalition" was not the product of an election. Ludwig Erhart was re-elected in 1965 and continued to rule alongside the FDP. However, the following year the Free Democrats left the government over budget disputes. Erhart also resigned and Kurt Kiesinger (right) was chosen to take over. With the FDP out, he governed with the Social Democrats, led by Willy Brandt (left).

A history of Germany's coalition governments

SPD - FDP (1969-1982)

Willy Brandt became Germany's first Social Democratic chancellor in the post-war period. Despite winning fewer votes than the CDU/CSU, Brandt struck a deal with the FDP to give them a narrow majority in the Bundestag. It wouldn't be the last time the liberals would be called out for a perceived lack of loyalty. In 1974, Brandt was replaced by Helmut Schimdt, who went on to win two more elections.

A history of Germany's coalition governments

CDU/CSU - FDP (1982-1998)

The 13-year friendship between the SPD and FDP ended in 1980 as the two parties' differing ideologies became irreconcilable. The liberals again switched sides that year, dropping out of the coalition and seeking a deal with the conservatives. That caused the SPD-led government to collapse and a reborn CDU/CSU-FDP coalition formed under the leadership of Helmut Kohl (pictured).

A history of Germany's coalition governments

CDU - DSU - Democratic Awakening (1990)

Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germany held its first ever elections. The Christian Democrats under Lothar de Maiziere took over 40 percent of the vote. They went into coalition with two small parties: German Social Union and Democratic Awakening, whose members included one Angela Merkel. In October that year, the government signed the reunification treaty with West Germany.

A history of Germany's coalition governments

SPD - Green Party (1998-2005)

In 2002, Helmut Kohl's 16-year rule came to an end and the Social Democrats under Gerhard Schröder returned to power. The SPD formed a coalition with the Green party, who became a governing party less than 20 years after being founded. Unlike under Brandt, the SPD now led a left-wing government, rather than a center-left coalition. The SPD-Green party coalition remained in power until 2005.

A history of Germany's coalition governments

CDU/CSU - SPD (2005-2009)

"Grand coalitions" do not come easily. When the first exit polls came in, both Schröder (right) and Angela Merkel (left) declared themselves the winner. In the end, Merkel's conservatives defeated the SPD by just 1 percent. Germany's two largest parties agreed to form the country's second-ever grand coalition.

A history of Germany's coalition governments

CDU/CSU - FDP (2009-2013)

The "grand coalition" experiment ended in 2009, after the SPD picked up a disappointing 23 percent in the federal elections. The Free Democrats, by contrast, gained almost 5 percent to give them over 14 percent of the vote. Merkel and the FDP's Guido Westerwelle (left) formed a coalition with relative ease. It was, after all, Germany's 11th CDU/CSU-FDP government.

A history of Germany's coalition governments

CDU/CSU - SPD (2013-?)

After taking more than 40 percent of the vote, Merkel's conservatives probably weren't expecting to rule with the SPD. But with her old allies the FDP failing to meet the 5 percent threshold to enter the Bundestag, options were limited. Merkel called on the SPD to join her and "take on the responsibility to build a stable government." She made the same speech again four years later.